Annual Report 2007

Message from the Director-General (excerpt)

The year 2007 has been an exciting one for UNIDO, with the Organization building upon its past strengths and pressing forward into new areas of activity. ...

However, UNIDO cannot bring about this transformation on its own, and it is for this reason that the Organization has continued to participate actively in the United Nations reform process, working closely with other UN organizations in finding ways to advance system-wide coherence at the global, regional and national levels. It is my sincere belief that the major development challenges we face today can only be addressed successfully with all the UN organizations acting together in harmony. If we can combine our individual strengths, and genuinely "Deliver as One", we will be doing justice to those we aim to assist.

Following the lead of the UN Secretary-General, UNIDO strongly supports the efforts to combat climate change, promote industrial energy efficiency, support cleaner production techniques and promote renewabel sources of energy. In this respect, I feel privileged to have been appointed Chair of UN-Energy for the biennium 2008-2009. In this capacity, I intend to bring together all forces of the United Nations in an effort to achieve these goals.... following the 2007 Climate Change Conference in Bali, negotiations will soon commence under the Bali Road Map, which will address the issue of how to respond to climate change after the current emmission targets set by the Kyoto Protocol expire in 1012. UNIDO looks forward to playing an active role in this endeavour.

... we have continued to streamline our working practices and to introduce the principles of results-based management into all aspects of the Organization's work, with a view to improving decisison-making, transparency and accountability. The overal results have been encouraging, with UNIDO's technical cooperation maintaining its strong upward trend. The figures speak for themselves: delivery achieved in 2007 was $US 117.3 million; the total volume available for future implementation reached US$280.1 million; and funds mobilized in 2007 amounted to US$172.7 million - the last two figures representing unprecedented levels in UNIDO's history.

The year culminated in the very successful and well-attended twelfth session of the UNIDO General Conference - indeed the largest in the Organization's history. The event combined the legislative sessions with dynamic and interactive events highlighting substantive aspects of UNIDO's work, in the form of an Industrial Development Forum, high-level thematic panel discussions, and regional round tables, as well as a number of exhibitions on UNIDO's activities. ...